In the construction of lighting fixtures and particularly fluorescent lighting fixtures adapted to mount electrical components for operating fluorescent light tubes from it has been common practice to form such fixtures with a housing having a diffuser cover mounted centrally thereon. It has been common to mount such diffusers from the fixture housing in a manner which will provide easily mounting and dismounting thereof.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,976 the diffuser is mounted to side rails defined on or mounted to the housing. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,159,352 the diffuser includes inwardly projecting flanges that overlay on outwardly projecting flanges defined on the housing. The '352 patent includes mounting end caps that secure the diffuser and housing together. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,085 the diffuser includes inwardly curved grooves to hook onto a screw fastened to the housing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,200 defines an elongated C-shaped clip that secures the diffuser to the housing.
To make the mounting and dismounting more easily, the industry has deviated from elongated clips and more complicated methods and is relaying heavily on small metal fasteners. The present invention builds upon the prior art and the current industry standard, and has developed an improved clip for mounting a diffuser to a lighting housing.